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Miscellaneous

 
 
Repeat from last week or until no longer relevant or until I delete it or it bears repeating:  

The proposed  evening social schedule for the next three months is:

  • Thursday, October 29 – Halloween-themed social at the funeral home venue.
  • Thursday, November 26 – TBD
  • Thursday, December 17 – The Cannery, where we'll return for our annual Christmas gathering. This one will be a 7:00 a.m. breakfast meeting, featuring a breakfast buffet rather than individual meal orders. The usual Christmas gift exchange or other festive activity will also be part of the morning.
  • Eleanore asked if those who haven't yet please pay. A reminder will be sent.
  • We experienced the induction of Eleanore Matthew by Marg. Welcome to officially becoming a member.

  • Gordon update, he had slipped and fell and hit his head. This caused confusion and he has gotten much better and after further testing he may be discharged soon.

     

 

 

OUR THURSDAY BREAKFAST MEETING IS ACCESSED THROUGH THE LINK BELOW.
 
 
Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
 
 
1) Mute your microphone if you aren't already muted. Background noise is distracting. 
2) If you are not engaged in the presentation, turn off your camera. 
3) Chat function should only be used to address the speaker, not for Club member remarks during the presentation
4) Unmute when harassing the Sergeant at Arms or taking your turn during Sergeant at Arms.
5)Vote in the Municipal Elections - if no libertarian candidate pick someone else.
 
Please direct any questions or concerns to the President or a board member of your choosing and the board will discuss any and all questions or concerns during a board meeting. Also please refer to the members committee anyone who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the club. 
 
 
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
 
 

It is often the smallest steps not the greatest leaps that make the most change.

 

 
 
   VISITORS     
 
 

Darcy Hortness

 

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND 

CLUB BUSINESS

 

We are being asked by the district if we are interested in Student Exchange. If you have any thoughts on the issue please talk to Maryam.

Chris M. and Joyce are going to put a proposal to the Projects Committee that we put together 60 shoe boxes for the residents of Heart House and Harbour House.

Peggy is organizing breakfast for us next week.

We are going to invite speakers from the charities we have donated to in the past to update us on their current activities and status.

October 29th is the next social at the Living Centre. The theme is Monster Mash and come dressed in your favorite decade. 

 

 

 

 
Speaker
 

Olympic Lessons: Keeping Your Hands Open

Our club was treated to a fascinating and very personal presentation from Olympian Darcy Hortness, who took us far beyond the finish line and into the lessons she has learned from elite sport, motherhood, entrepreneurship and life.

Darcy’s story began at the University of Victoria, where she discovered rowing at age 18. What started as a university sport eventually took her all the way to three Olympic Games, culminating in the 2012 Olympics in London. She vividly described sitting in the boat with her teammates on August 2, 2012, waiting for the start of their final Olympic race. With the USA beside them and Romania on the other side, five agonizing minutes remained before the race would begin.

Those five minutes were carefully planned. At five minutes, the team thought about the big picture—the years of training and everything they had done to reach that moment. At three minutes, they focused on the rhythm of the boat and their individual roles. With one minute remaining, their thoughts narrowed to the simplest thing they could control: the very first stroke.

That philosophy—focusing on what you can control—became one of the central themes of Darcy’s presentation.

Her national team coach had taught the athletes that elite performers need “open hands” when it comes to training, competition, teamwork, feedback and even failure. Rather than allowing ego, resistance or fear to close those hands, they needed to remain open to possibility and opportunity.

Darcy described the daily work behind Olympic success as making small “1% deposits” into a bank account. Every workout, recovery session, nutrition choice, measurement and practice contributed to the eventual withdrawal on Olympic race day. The lesson was that an Olympic performance isn’t created on one particular day—it is built through hundreds and thousands of ordinary days.

She also learned to focus on what she could control. In rowing, you certainly can’t control the weather, but you can control how you respond to it. The same principle, she said, applies to life.

After London, the question became: “What’s next?” The intense focus of elite sport suddenly disappeared. Darcy and her future husband, also an Olympian, transitioned out of competitive sport around the same time. Then came marriage, children and, eventually, twins. Life became a completely different kind of endurance event!

When the twins were infants, Darcy organized a daily schedule from 5 am to 8 p.m., calling on friends, family and virtually anyone willing to hold a baby for an hour so the family could maintain some semblance of normal life. When the family moved to Tsawwassen, returning to a conventional full-time job didn't make financial sense with three young children, so Darcy once again embraced the idea of keeping her hands open.

During the pandemic, she and her friend and neighbour Mary started Oceano, a cleaning business. What began with a couple of high-school students grew into a team that reached 25 people during the summer. Entrepreneurship brought its own Olympic-style challenges—difficult conversations, unexpected problems and the responsibility of having employees who depended on the business for their income.

Darcy shared a term borrowed from Brené Brown: FFT—“First Effing Time.” Those unexpected situations are uncomfortable, but once you accept that something is an FFT, you can stop worrying about why it happened and start figuring out how to deal with it.

Throughout her journey, Darcy emphasized another lesson that has remained constant: we are not meant to do it alone. Whether it was an Olympic rowing crew, a young family, a business partnership or a team of employees, the people around us make the journey richer and more manageable.

Perhaps Darcy’s most powerful message was that the moments when she thought she had reached her limit often turned out to be the moments when she was actually on the edge of growth.

Her challenge to the club was simple: What moment is waiting for you? What possibility is sitting quietly in the back of your mind, and what might happen if you simply said yes?

And, in case anyone was wondering, Olympic-level training does not necessarily mean giving up ice cream. Darcy admitted she has a sweet tooth and was particularly fond of Magnum bars—proof that even Olympians believe in balance!

 

 
SERGEANT At Arms Tidbits

 

 

Our Sergeant-at-Arms once again demonstrated that Thanksgiving is not simply a holiday—it is an endurance sport involving family, food, travel, grandchildren, and the occasional turkey-related emergency.

Eleanore

Eleanore’s Thanksgiving was less a carefully planned family dinner and more a live-action episode of Survivor: Turkey Edition. The timing was apparently tight, the oven situation became chaotic, and someone managed to hit the cancel button at exactly the wrong moment. To make matters worse, the turkey was late to the party. Fortunately, Thanksgiving dinners have one great advantage: nobody expects them to start on time.

Chris M.

Chris enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family, including the grandchildren, who apparently stole the show—as grandchildren are legally required to do. Her son and daughter-in-law were also there, completing the family gathering. The only real problem came when the family’s Golden Retriever decided that pumpkin pie looked considerably better than dog food. Judging by the result, the dog has excellent taste.

Maryam

Maryam was under the weather but managed to recover just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving. She also reflected on the inspiration of the power of improving by one percent. It may not sound like much, but one percent at a time adds up—and apparently Maryam is living proof that sometimes the most important victory is simply being healthy enough to make it to the turkey.

Bobby

Bobby had a particularly busy stretch,  Thanksgiving. That came after Michael’s engagement party and his daughter’s 30th birthday, which featured a Justin Bieber theme. Apparently, 30 is the new 13.

He also celebrated his mother’s birthday (not as Justin Beiber theme) and somehow found time to do all the cooking. A heroic effort. Bobby also thanked Bill for his feedback on the operation of the ballroom—because nothing says Thanksgiving like a post-event operational review.

Lawrence

Lawrence celebrated his daughter’s 14th birthday on Friday and made another trip to Din Tai Fung, where the dessert seems to be the main attraction. Apparently, this family knows exactly why they go there—and it isn’t just for the dumplings.

Thanksgiving itself was a much more organized affair, with dinner served on time. In this group, that deserves its own award.

Peachy

Peachy reported having attended an impressive 24 in-person meetings, which is either an extraordinary commitment to productivity or evidence that Peachy simply doesn’t know how to say no.

Thanksgiving, however, was a quieter affair spent with her son. After 24 meetings, some family time was probably well earned.

Eleana

Eleana wisely decided that Thanksgiving was not the time to discover whether she could successfully cook a turkey. Instead, she took the grandchildren out to a restaurant. A smart decision, really: let someone else deal with the turkey, the gravy, the dishes and the inevitable question, “Is this supposed to be pink?”

Jeanette

Jeanette spent part of the weekend helping her mother, including a trip to urgent care that involved a three-and-a-half-hour wait. At that point, “urgent” begins to feel like a fairly optimistic description.

Still, Jeanette was there when her mother needed her—which is what matters most.

Sandra

Sandra had a fun Thanksgiving weekend and enjoyed Bruno Mars the night before. The concert was apparently a great time, although the next morning was another story. Sandra admitted she was not exactly awake and functioning at full capacity before heading off to Vancouver.

There was also some exciting family news: Sandra is expecting her third grandchild. Clearly, the grandchildren are forming their own little club.

Melinda

Melinda celebrated her little granddaughter’s fourth birthday, which made the occasion feel especially special. She also enjoyed a great meal at Ripples Distillery and Thanksgiving with her son and grandchildren.

And then there was the pumpkin pie. Melinda made six of them. Unfortunately, the pies apparently decided they would rather be pudding. But six pumpkin puddings still sounds like a very successful Thanksgiving—especially if you don’t insist on calling them pies.

Peggy

Peggy had a busy week involving babysitting, ironing curtains and a phone that seemed to ring constantly thanks to Richard. Her philosophy was summed up beautifully: always say yes and see where it takes you.

That philosophy certainly seems to be working.

She is also looking forward to getting back behind the wheel after one more week. There was a pumpkin-patch outing with her grandson, and Thanksgiving featured a Japanese theme, including some of the strangest foods she could find at TNT. Her main objective, however, was achieved: getting the family together.

Amanda

Amanda described Thanksgiving as busy and full of family activity, including several dinners. Graham injured his hand and is heading to physiotherapy, while her sister was visiting. Her dad, on the other hand, apparently did absolutely nothing all weekend—which may actually be the smartest Thanksgiving strategy of all.

John

John shared a particularly memorable story involving his daughter Darcy and her remarkable competitive career.

He watched her win gold at the 2006 World Championships in pairs, a particularly meaningful occasion because his mother was there and it was the year his father died. He also recalled watching Darcy win silver at her first World Championships and later silver at the 2012 Olympics—the last time John watched her race.

A wonderful collection of memories, and a reminder that some sporting moments become family memories that last far beyond the medals.

Garth

Garth admitted to screwing up the pumpkin pie—but, in the great Thanksgiving tradition, it still tasted good. Appearance is clearly overrated.

He also mentioned the “trust jar” in relation to divorce proceedings. We’re not entirely sure what was in the jar, but it sounds like one of those situations where you probably want a very good lawyer—and perhaps a very secure jar.

Brian

Brian was in Kelowna for a pension and benefits conference, which sounds thrilling until you actually hear the words “pension and benefits conference.”

Fortunately, there was curling to watch, proving once again that even the driest conference can be improved by a sheet of ice and a few rocks.

Mary Lou

Mary Lou  made it to the cabin, where she discovered that part of the surrounding area had suffered a shocking amount of fire damage. Fortunately, the cabin itself survived.

With approximately 20% of the area gone, there was plenty of cleanup to do, along with windows to deal with and the cabin to shut down for the winter.

But Mary Lou is clearly not one to sit around for long. Next up: a jazz festival, followed by two weeks in Sicily. From wildfire cleanup to Italian wine and sunshine—that’s what we call changing gears.

Judy

Judy enjoyed a pleasant weekend with lunches and good company, but made the executive decision to opt out of cooking the turkey.

Instead, Thanksgiving featured Oktoberfest-style fun, apple strudel and pumpkin pie. Frankly, that sounds like a very respectable alternative to wrestling with a turkey for four hours.

Debbie M.

Debbie is dealing with the excitement of a granddaughter’s fifth birthday. Apparently, the granddaughter’s attention span was even worse than usual—which at age five is saying something.

Thanksgiving brought an interesting family gathering, with her ex-husband and his wife attending and bringing Egyptian treats. Debbie also enjoyed Melinda’s chicken with cranberry sauce, proving once again that Rotary members are perfectly willing to outsource their Thanksgiving cooking.

Bill

Bill shared a culinary memory from New Orleans involving traditional fried chicken. Apparently, he has eaten fried chicken on 80 different occasions—a research project of extraordinary dedication—and declared this particular version the best he has ever had.

We respect that level of commitment to the scientific method.

Sam

Sam’s hockey club hosted a tournament and managed to win zero games.

Then they went to Canada and went 5–0, winning every game, with Sam even scoring two goals and father Bill not in the line up. The question in everyone's mind:" Sam, did you bench him?"

Apparently, the lesson is simple: when things aren’t going well, change tournaments—and preferably countries. Sam certainly enjoyed the winning part.

Kal

Kal went to Honey Salt for Thanksgiving, where the turkey arrived cold.

After hearing several turkey stories today, we are beginning to suspect that the turkey is actually the most unreliable member of this Rotary Club.

Michael

Michael had quite a weekend, beginning with his son’s engagement party, which had approximately 500 people—considerably larger than he had anticipated. At that point, it stops being an engagement party and starts looking suspiciously like a wedding rehearsal.

He also celebrated his mother’s 82nd birthday on Monday with a visit to Cactus Club.

Michael also had something to say about signs. Apparently, there have been plenty of questions about putting up signs, but the property does not allow them. The NDP apparently put one up without permission and, according to Michael and the rest of the club, he should take it down.

After all, there are some things even a 500-person engagement party cannot prepare you for: politics, signage, and unauthorized lawn decorations.

And That, Apparently, Was Thanksgiving

Between late turkeys, cold turkeys, questionable pumpkin pies, six pumpkin puddings, Golden Retrievers eating dessert, hockey teams going from 0–whatever to 5–0, 500-person engagement parties and enough grandchildren to populate a small community, it was another wonderfully chaotic week in the lives of our Rotary members.

The Sergeant-at-Arms once again proved that the best stories are rarely the ones that go according to plan.

 

 

 

MEANDERINGS 

Questions everyone wants the answers to. Why pumpkin pie and why is American thanksgiving a different day to ours. No Trump has nothing to do with it. Your intrepid editor has the answers for you (via ChatGpt and two litres of water). Just read on. 

🎃 Why pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin was an abundant North American fall crop, so it naturally became part of autumn harvest meals. Indigenous peoples were already growing and eating pumpkins and other squash, and European colonists quickly adopted them.

The early version wasn't exactly today's pumpkin pie. In the late 1700s, American cookbooks described “pompkin pudding”—essentially cooked pumpkin mixed with eggs, milk or cream, sugar/molasses and spices, then baked in a pastry crust. 

By the 1800s, pumpkin pie had become strongly associated with the American Thanksgiving table. Newspapers, magazines and cookbooks increasingly treated it as an essential Thanksgiving dish. 

There's also a nice seasonal logic to it:

Fall harvest → pumpkins → family feast → pumpkin pie.

Interestingly, the famous 1621 Plymouth feast probably didn't include modern pumpkin pie. The popular connection between that meal and today's Thanksgiving traditions developed much later. The Library of Congress notes that the modern Thanksgiving holiday wasn't actually derived directly from the 1621 feast. 

Why is Canadian Thanksgiving earlier?

This is where geography makes a big difference.

Canadian Thanksgiving: second Monday in October
American Thanksgiving: fourth Thursday in November Our Languages

The basic reason is harvest timing.

Canada is farther north, so the agricultural harvest generally finishes earlier. It made sense for a Canadian harvest festival to occur in October, whereas much of the United States could wait until November.

But there's also a fascinating historical difference.

Canada's Thanksgiving wasn't simply copied from the Pilgrims

Canada had its own early thanksgiving traditions. One famous example occurred in 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher held a thanksgiving ceremony in Newfoundland after his expedition arrived safely. That's actually 43 years before the famous Plymouth feast of 1621. The Library of Congress

Canadian Thanksgiving gradually evolved as a harvest and thanksgiving celebration, rather than becoming as tightly connected to the Pilgrims and Plymouth as the American version did.

Canada's date also bounced around historically. In fact, Thanksgiving was once associated with Armistice Day/Remembrance Day in November. In 1931, when Canada fixed November 11 as Armistice Day (later Remembrance Day), Thanksgiving was moved to October. Canada

Eventually, Canada settled on the second Monday of October.

🇺🇸 And why November in America?

The American tradition became increasingly standardized in the 19th century.

In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national Thanksgiving day, partly as a way of promoting national unity during an extraordinarily divided period. Research Guides

The date was later changed to the fourth Thursday of November, which is the American Thanksgiving we know today.

 

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS
 
 
Thursday, October 29 – Monster Mash themed social at the funeral home venue.
 
November 12,2026, District Governor visit and our own AGM so we can find out who the next victims are - oops I mean president elect, secretary, etc. 
 
May 7th, 2027 Gala mark it on your calendar.
 
 
 
 
 

 TODAY'S CHUCKLEs     

 

Zany Emoji. Silly Face With Crazy Eyes And Tongue Out Vector Illustration | CartoonDealer.com ...

 

 

A lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense: “My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb.” “Well put,” the judge replied. “Using your logic, I sentence the defendant’s arm to one year’s imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses.” The defendant smiled. With his lawyer’s assistance, he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.

 
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Maryam Bawa
October 5
 
Danilo Salcedo
October 6
 
Micheal Ghirra
October 22
 
Spouse/Partner Birthdays
Malcolm Brodie
October 11
 
Anniversaries
Bobby Ghirra
Neeta Ghirra
October 23
 
Join Date
Dick Wagner
October 2, 1992
34 years
 
Elena Agala
October 5, 2000
26 years
 
Chris Pughe
October 7, 2003
23 years
 
Jeannette Patacsil
October 24, 2022
4 years
 
Maddie Pughe
October 24, 2016
10 years